Today, I am not sure of staying alive or dying here; however, at the same time I am sure that the five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge and kyō will spread widely in this Latter Age of Degeneration.

Toki-dono Go-henji, A Response to Lord Toki, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 180

Thank you very much for your donation of 90 rice cakes and 50 Japanese yams which you took the trouble of sending from the Ueno District of Fuji County, Suruga Province, to me in a valley of Mt. Minobu in the Hakiri District of Kai Province through your messenger.

To begin with, wood is precious at the seashore while salt is treasured in the mountain. Water is valuable at the time of a drought and a lamplight is a treasure in the darkness. The husband is a fortune to his wife while the wife is the life of her husband. The king respects the subjects as his parents while the people value their food as the heavens.

Nevertheless, an epidemic has been rampant throughout Japan in the last few years, reducing the population in half. Moreover, as we are in the midst of a severe famine that began on the seventh month of last year, making it difficult for those who live far from where other people are or for a priest who has retreated into a mountain (like myself) to stay alive.

What is more, as I was born in a country of slanderers of the Lotus Sūtra, I have been persecuted as Never Despising Bodhisattva in the Latter Age of Degeneration after the passing of Powerful Voice King Buddha or Monk Virtue Consciousness after Kangi Zoyaku Buddha. Both the king and the people of this country detest me and treat me with contempt. My clothing is worn, and the supply of food is getting scarce. As a result, even a piece of padded cotton cloth is as precious to me as brocade. Even weed leaves taste as sweet to me as nectar.

Furthermore, the snow lies thick on the ground since the 11th month of last year, blocking the mountain path. Although a new year is here, nobody visits us except chattering birds. As the lonely days passed, I was expecting no visitors as I do not have any close friends, when 90 pieces of steamed rice cake arrived within the first three days of the New Year. They looked like the wonderful full moon, illuminating our minds with clarity and banishing the darkness of life and death.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 29-30

As I contemplate this, the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sūtra is the golden words of the Three Buddhas (the Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and Buddhas in manifestation in all the worlds throughout the universe), the brightest jewel of the Lotus Sūtra that exceeds all sūtras, that have been preached, are being preached, and will be preached, and is supreme among all Buddhist scriptures. Therefore, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, “It is at the summit of all sūtras;” and “the Lotus Sūtra is the foremost.” Referring to the Lotus Sūtra as interpreted by Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, Grand Master Dengyō states in his Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sūtra, “This is the school of Buddhism established by the Buddha Himself.”

Ōta Nyūdō-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lay Priest Lord Ōta, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 36

The Lotus School … is based on the most truthful words of all teachings of the Buddha. Not only does the Lotus Sūtra consist of true words but also provisional sūtras preached by the Buddha during His lifetime, upon flowing into the great ocean of the Lotus Sūtra, are all converted to the sūtra of the true words by the power of the Lotus Sūtra. Let alone the daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra. This is like the power of face powder which makes lacquer as white as snow or Mt. Sumeru, which makes the color of the various birds approaching it all golden. Likewise, those who uphold the daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra can change the black (evil) karma, which they committed in this life or during the numerous kalpa (aeons) in the past, into white (good) great karma, not to speak of the meritorious good acts performed in the past since the eternal past, which will all be changed to golden-colored.

Myōhō-ama Gozen Gohenji, A Reply to My Lady, the Nun Myōhō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 142

I have made a vow to study all the Buddhist sūtras completely at once just as Grand Master T’ien-t’ai had compared the superiority of all the sūtras, by relying on the scriptures of the sūtras alone as his guide.

Thus determined, I read through all the scriptures of Buddhism, finding that the Nirvana Sūtra states: “Depend on the dharma, not on people.” The dharma means all the sūtras preached by the Buddha; and people refers to all except the Buddha, that is, such bodhisattvas as Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī as well as the various masters of the schools mentioned above. It also states: “Depend on the sūtra revealing the whole truth, not on the sūtras which do not reveal the whole truth.” The sūtras revealing the whole truth correspond to the Lotus Sūtra.

Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 4.

I, Nichiren, of Awa Province graciously received the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra from three masters (Śākyamuni Buddha, T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō) and spread it in the Latter Age of Degeneration. Therefore, I dare add myself to the three masters, calling ourselves “four masters in three lands.”

Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō! Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō!

Kembutsu Mirai-ki, Testimony to the Prediction of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 178

[In the sixth month of the 3rd year of the Kenji era (1277), Nichiren Shōnin wrote a letter of explanation in place of Inaba-bō Nichiei, a disciple of Nichiren, and submitted it to Nichiei’s father, Shimoyama Hyōgo Gorō Mitsumoto.]

I am sorry to trouble you, but I would like to inform you of one thing in advance. This master, Nichiren Shōnin, is the one and only master of virtue and is a sagacious and irreplaceable person. If the worst should happen, you would surely be sorry. It is rather foolish for you not to believe in him just because the people in the world do not believe in him. When the rulers of Japan put faith in him, everyone will believe in him. It will be useless for you to believe in him then. Putting faith in him because the rulers of Japan believe in him means that you believe in a man, not the dharma. The people in the world think that children must obey their parents, retainers obey their lord, and disciples follow their masters, but this is a wrong idea held by those who know neither Buddhism nor non-Buddhist teachings. In the Filial Piety, a Confucian classic, it is stated that when a father makes a mistake, his son should remonstrate with him, and that when a lord makes a mistake, his retainer should admonish him. In Buddhism it is preached: “He who enters Buddhism, discarding the favors of his parents, is one who truly compensates the favors received from his parents.”

Prince Siddhārtha, who had become a monk against the wishes of His father, King Suddodana, became the Buddha to lead His parents to Buddhahood. In the end He became the most filial son in the world. Filial Pi-kan was killed for remonstrating his father, King Chou Hsin of the Yin Dynasty, and left behind the fame of being a man of wisdom. If you disregard what I say as words of a petty monk, I am sure you will regret it not only in the present life but also in the one to come.

Shimoyama Goshōsoku, The Shimoyama Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 96

All bodhisattvas and ordinary beings tried in vain for incalculable kalpa (aeons) to attain Buddhahood by practicing the sūtras preached by the Buddha during the 40 years before the Lotus Sūtra. They became Buddhas instantly, however, by practicing the Lotus Sūtra and now exist in all the worlds throughout the universe. These Buddhas with the 32 marks of physical excellence and 80 minor marks of physical excellence are looked upon by those in the nine realms as if they are stars revolving around the moon, Mt. Sumeru is surrounded by eight mountains, the sun is looked upon by the people in the four continents, or the Wheel-turning Noble King is revered by the whole nation. Is not this solely due to the great favor of the Lotus Sūtra?

Kitō Shō, Treatise on Prayers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 60

Here, I would like to elucidate the merits of the daimoku, the title of the Lotus Sūtra, for saving those who only chant it from the three evil realms. It is stated in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 5, chapter 14, “Peaceful Practices”: “Mañjuśrī, this Lotus Sūtra is so difficult to encounter that its name has never been heard in innumerable countries.” The sūtra also preaches in the eighth fascicle, chapter 26, “Mystic Phrases”: “You will gain incalculable good fortune by simply protecting those who believe in chanting the title of the Lotus Sūtra.” Again, in the “Devadatta” chapter, chapter 12 of the Lotus Sūtra, it is stated: “Upon listening to the ‘Devadatta’ chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, those who believe in it wholeheartedly with a pure mind will not fall into hell and realms of hungry spirits and beasts.” The chapter on the “Myōji-kudoku (merit of the title)” of the Nirvana Sūtra asserts: “There is no reason for the virtuous people, men or women, hearing the title of this sūtra, to fall into evil realms.” The Nirvana Sūtra is specially cited here because it was preached to amplify the merits of the Lotus Sūtra.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 65

Twenty-one years have already passed since I, Nichiren, became aware of the appearance of the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra at the beginning of the Latter Age in the land of Japan. During these years, especially in the last few years, I have encountered a continuous series of calamities day by day and month by month. I must be executed soon. It seems difficult for me to survive this month or this year. Who except me, Nichiren, is foreshadowed by those great omens? Those who have any doubt may ask my disciples to instruct them further.

Kembutsu Mirai-ki, Testimony to the Prediction of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 178